THE IMPORTANCE OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE IN CLUSTER MANAGEMENT

In the article the emphasis was placed on the characteristics of a business cluster, that is a community
of people and organizations belonging to a given social and economic environment, which is
connected by means of social, organizational, formal and informal ties basing on co-opetition. There
has been presented the significance of the cluster as an organization created as a result of cluster
initiative of various sectors’ representatives: business, science, non-governmental organizations
(NGOs), and local government. Due to the diversity of the systems of values, standards, symbols,
and patterns of behavior of particular cluster partners, there was indicated the role of organizational
culture in the cluster development process. The author also emphasizes that organizational culture of
a cluster is the key factor conditioning the development of social capital within a cluster, since it is
conducive to the improvement of the quality of interpersonal relationships, intraorganizational
relationships, cooperation abilities, organizational climate and mutual trust. Moreover, it indicates
that social capital of a cluster, which results from loyalty and the ability of this structure’s members
to cooperate efficiently aiming to attain individual and common objectives, is a factor that determines
the permanency of functioning and the development of a cluster. 

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